BRAINCAKEHubble's Law
In 1929 Edwin Hubble measured the red shifts and distances of many galaxies. He found that almost all galaxies are receding, and that the further away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away. Hubble's law states:
v = Hd
where v is the recessional velocity of the galaxy, d is its distance and H is the Hubble constant. The velocity comes from the red shift (v = zc) and the distance from standard candles such as type Ia supernovae.
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Key terms in this lesson
- red shift
- An increase in the wavelength, and decrease in frequency, of radiation received from a source such as a galaxy that is moving away from the observer.
More in Astrophysics
- Evolution of a Star
- Supernovae, Neutron Stars and Black Holes
- The Schwarzschild Radius
- Type Ia Supernovae as Standard Candles
- The Doppler Effect and Red Shift
- The Big Bang Theory and the Age of the Universe
- Quasars
- Detecting Exoplanets
All 24 lessons in Astrophysics · All AQA A-level Physics topics